Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Nutty Flavour’

One of the famous signature teas from the Mark Wendell Tea Company since 1904 has been the Hu-Kwa Lapsang Souchong. This black large leaf tea from Formosa (Taiwan) is distinctly smoky, taking flavours from the smoke of pine fires used in the tea processing. The history of this company is substantial and if you’d like more, check out this link. Since this tea has been well established, I was definitely expecting a superior tea and was looking for expert handling of the firing. This was all before I found out that this tea was mostly sold to the Boston elite. Now we can sample what finer families have known for years, that Hu-Kwa is excellent tea. And, it is what it has been called, a standard to measure all other Lapsang Souchong teas by.

In examining the dry leaf, I noted there was a lot of stem, some of which was partially charred. Tea stems actually carry a mellow nutty flavour, reminding me of the Kuckicha twig tea from Japan. The smoke scent of the dry tea is is little overpowering at first however. Smoke is a flavour used often in specialty salt, paprika, fish such as salmon, meats and cheese. Smoke flavours should not be a flavour unfamiliar to many.

Although instructions on the Wendell web site for Hu-Kwa were lacking in terms of quantity of tea and amount of water to use, it was recommended to give 5 ½ minutes to the steep. I was a bit chicken and decided on 2.5 g. (1 heaping tsp.) of Lapsang Souchong would steep for 4 minutes in 120ml (about 5 oz) water. There was a deeper, more true bronze liquor colour than with the Golden Moon I tried the day before. There was soft, sweet smoke taste that it was less intense than Golden Moon. I was more aware of a pine flavour with the Hu-Kwa, with less “smoke” and maybe less “ash”. After a few sips, I was amazed that when I really focussed, there was a sensation like a perfume – the soft smoke flavours fills the nasal passage and head. This is what the allure of Lapsang Souchong tea is!

There was not only the flavour of smoke on the tongue, but also an astringency on the middle of the tongue. It is intriguing to taste this tea over and over again to enjoy the nuances. The Hu-Kwa is almost the same as the Golden Moon but has a deeper range of flavours despite the odd pine tar note on the tongue. I tried some soft cheese and found that the fats tempered the smoke and didn’t hide the flavour of the cheese. The tea didn’t really enhance the cheese I selected and I think with some more searching, one could find the right pairing with a goat cheese, an aged gouda, sharp cheddar, or blue cheese. You may think it odd, but this would make a great iced tea!

The 2nd steep was taken at a full 5 minutes and the flavours held true. I tried the second cup with chocolate-coconut almond bar because I’m adventurous, and found it was a very pleasant experience. When I looked at the brewed leaf, it was steamed open fully. So, I am eager to show this Hu-Kwa to friends and see what they think. It will certainly be a great Lapsang Souchong for anyone to begin with or for a master of tastes to enjoy.

You can purchase the Hu-Kwa Lapsang Souchong directly from the Mark T. Wendall Tea Company website.

I am a fan of Rooibos. I love all teas, but there is something about Rooibos that is more appealing to me. Perhaps it is my sweet tooth, which appreciates the natural sweetness of Rooibos, or perhaps it is because Rooibos tends to blend with so many “sweet” flavours such as Caramel and Vanilla. Whatever it is, I am a fan.

With that in the forefront of my mind, I brewed up a bag of the Mighty Leaf African Nectar. My teabag prejudice aside, Rooibos actually works well in a teabag because it is naturally a small leaf, and does not need a lot of room to expand.

I brewed the tea using my regular Rooibos methods, boiling water, steeped for 5-6 minutes. The smell was fantastic, and I could not wait to dive into it. The cup was a deep red color that I relate to good quality Rooibos.

Prevalent in the taste was a mango and vanilla combined with, but not overwhelming, Rooibos flavour, which is a sweetish, nutty flavour. I like it. I like it a lot! There is not much more to say on this tea, as I think the above speaks for it’s self. Sometimes Mighty Leaf has fallen down in taste for me, but in this case, it is a home run! I would recommend this tea to anyone who likes Rooibos, and to someone who wants to get an idea of what a flavoured Rooibos tea can be!

You can purchase Mighty Leaf African Nectar Loose Tea or Mighty Leaf African Nectar Tea Pouches directly from their website.